Harris Teeter Super Doubler

Harris Teeter is doing one of its best promotions this week (now through midnight Tuesday). The store will double all your coupons up to $1.98, meaning if you have a coupon for that much you could actually save $3.96..whoot whoo!

Also, for their eVIC customers, bread is only 79 cents a loaf! Glad our fridge is empty right now so I can stock up.

Why I love Harris Teeter

This is going to be shorter than I originally envisioned, but my son's naptime is surely coming to an end soon.

First, as I noted on the Facebook group page (not a fan, join here), Harris Teeter is offering triple coupons through Tuesday, May 4. What this means is, if you have a coupon worth .98 cents, it becomes $2.97. More likely you have a 75 cents coupon, so that becomes $2.25! They are tripling coupons up to 99 cents, so that $1 off is just a $1, but the others are worth big bucks!

Second, I love HT because the customer service really does seem to be better than other stores. A friend told me he once mentioned to the fish department he wished they had more of XX fish (sorry J, can't remember what it was exactly). A week or two later, sure enough they had XX fish.

On Tuesday, during my second trip of the day (needed to get in before the sales changed the next day), they were out of the eVic special, an email alert I get giving me even more savings. Fitzgerald, the very nice meat manager, searched for me throughout the store to tell me he checked in the back and no dice they were out. BUT, I could get a comparable item for the same price. So I got a $9 piece of pork loin for $4. And the one I got, was NICER than the one they had on sale!

Third, I love HT because the prices are generally as cheap or cheaper than other stores. I have noted before I shop specific stores for specific items (ground beef and coffee come to mind), but for general shopping when you combine their coupon policy with their general prices, its just a better deal (time and gas money wise) to shop there. When I did my shopping on Tuesday, I only noticed ONE ITEM of my regular staples at Giant (Special K Fiber Bar) that was cheaper there than at HT.

So with great coupons, good selection, good customer service, etc. I have decided I going to do most of my general shopping at HT. My time is money too!

Non holiday related deals

Safeway has some deals that I keep forgetting to post...

A pack of butter, 16 oz, for $1.99!
Bananas are .39/lb
Dial anti-bacterial hand wash is $1.

Also, Harris Teeter has my son's beloved blueberries (he would eat his weight in them if we would let him!) on sale for 2/1. They are out of season and expensive
($5) so any and all savings is a good thing!

Triple coupons -- they paid off

A friend recommended Shoppers Food Warehouse, and since they along with Harris Teeter were having a triple-coupon special this week, I decided to give it a try. I went there first. I had gone to Shoppers in the past when we lived elsewhere but was never all that impressed.

I am sorry to report that my impressions from four years ago remained the same.

The prices were not THAT much cheaper, and infact they were were more expensive in some regards (milk for $3.69!) Campbells Chix noodle was more expensive ($1) than HT (.89), and butter was too (Shoppers $2.59, HT $2.49). They had some good promotions, such as Campbells Gravy 2/$1 (vs. HT $1.59/bogo), and Rice-a-roni for $1 always, but nothing in the store that will get me to come back without the triple coupons and even with them if another store has the same deal.

Bottom line at Shoppers, spent $63.93 for:
2 boxes of generic cereal (Oats&Almonds and Raisan Bran)
Generic cranberry sauce
3 boxes of ricearoni
2 boxes Hamburger Helper
Soft Scrub
2 patches of Ortega Taco Seasoning
3 bottles of generic seltzer
2 cartons of Progressive Chicken Broth
3 cans of Campbells Chix Noodle
4 cans of Campbells Gravy
1 jar of Paprika
1 package of Smithfield Bacon
1 package of Blueberry Waffles
2 packages of Totinos Frozen Pizza
1 package of TGIF Complete meals
1 package of Dole Frozen Fruits
1 package of Shredded Cheese
1 package of Unsalted Butter
1 package of generic Parmesan cheese
1 package of Nestle Choc Chip Cookie Dough
1 bottle of Suave

Total: $63.93
Total coupon savings: $18.65

According to the receipt I saved 23% of my bill with my coupons.

But, because I am rather certain they over charged me for one item (that if it was closer I would go back and complain) AND I paid full price for the TGIF meal when it was $3 off at HT, I do not feel like I saved that much. Ugh.

Then after coming home, having hubby unload car I went to HT.

Aside from the aforementioned TGIF meal savings (which I didn't buy since I already had used coupon), they had some good sales. They organize the coupon differently, so this is what I bought:

1 Reynolds Crock Pot Liner
1 can of Lysol Spray
1 package of Tostitos Lime Chips
1 jar of Franks Hot Sauce
1 box of Raisan Bran
1 bottle of V8 Fusion
1 box of HT cereal bars
1 box of Wolfgang Puck Stock
1 box of Wolfgang Puck Broth
1 bottle of Karo Syrup
1 6-pack of beer
1 gallon HT ice cream
1 carton of Welch's Grape Juice
1 roll of HT cinn breakfast rolls
1 package of Hormel Pepperoni

I spent a total of $34.05
I received $20.32 in coupon savings and an additional $8.93 in VIC promotions. So based on their prices and my coupons I saved nearly half the price of my bill...sweet.

I found that HT has better sales, as in the items are reduced by a greater amount when they are on sale. This is one reason I will remain loyal to HT.

Also, going over the list, you'll notice a lot of gravy and stock. My husband was confused and couldn't figure out why I got so much. The reason is because of the triple coupons and the sale price for these items because its the holidays they became super super cheap, especially the Wolfgang Puck which I would never otherwise buy. So now we are stocked up, no pun intended.

Triple coupons and more!!

Wow! Shoppers and Harris Teeter are doing Triple Coupons this week! And it appears Giant and Safeway are doing some pretty decent sales as well.

So, instead of going line by line am going to try to attach the respective fliers here.

These are likely to bring about serious savings....happy shopping! I plan on going out Monday and Tuesday nights! (yeah, I know the sad, exciting life of a suburban mom)

Shoppers (must enter zip code or pick store to see specifics)

Harris Teeter (only 20 coupons a day per household)

Safeway (made me enter a specific store, but you can change location. Highlight is coupon for free eggs!)

Giant (again had to enter a location, but you can change)

The Master List

This is a list of where I buy my staples and how much I pay for them. I will update this list regularly, and list the update 'date' below, as well as mark new items with an asterick.

UPDATE >>> Sept. 25, 2009

Bananas .19/each -- Trader Joe's
Chix Breast 5 lbs $10 -- Harris Teeter (when they have their BOGO sale, about once every six weeks or so)
Coffee 39 oz Ground $5.69 -- Target
Eggs (12 Large) 1.19 -- Trader Joe's
Ground Beef 90/10 -- Wegman's (must buy in bulk, minimum 6 lbs)
Half & Half (Lucerne) $3.99 1/2 gallon -- Safeway
Pizza Dough (TJ brand) .99 -- Trader Joe's
Whole Wheat Spaghetti $1.29 -- Trader Joe's
Yogurt (Lucerne) .50/each -- Safeway

Triple coupons is back!

Harris Teeter is doing triple coupons again!!! From now until 11:59 pm Tues., Sept 22. HT will triple the value of coupons up to .99, so you can potentially save up to $2.97 off your purchase with a single coupon.

Calling all (Diet) Coke addicts..

This Bargain of the Day tip comes in today courtesy of a Virginia reader.

She was in Harris Teeter last night and realized they were selling 12 pack/12 oz cans of Coke products for 4/$10. So one package is $2.50.

Easy math here. $2.50 divided by 12 = .21! So than means you can get your Diet Coke fix (or regular Coke, Sprite or whatever you fancy) for less than a quarter!

By way of comparison she stopped at 7-11 on the way home and found the same Diet Coke can for $1.01, five times more.

Harris Teeter sale runs until Tuesday at 11:59 pm.

This is one of many examples that shows how buying in bulk, when you have the space for it, really REALLY pays off!

Harris Teeter coupons...more fun!

This past week HT had a promotion of doubling coupons up to $1.98. It ended at 11:59 pm last night. I, of course, didn't make it there until just after 8 pm. Here is what I purchased, with normal price per item.

Rice-A-Roni (3 boxes) $1.79 each
4lbs sugar $2.69
Lysol Disinfectant Wipes $3.49
Newman Salsa $3.15
Kraft Horseradish $2.19
4 pack Ziploc Containers (2 boxes) $3.65 each
Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Foamer $4.79
Tide Detergent, 96 loads $22.49
Bounty 8 Roll package $8.97
Downy Liquid Softener $3.99
4 Snickers Bars .50/each
HT Shredded Wheat $1.97
HT Dishwasher Soap $3.79
Arizona Iced Tea .99
Lady Speed Stick (2) $3.19 each
Colgate Paste $3.15
2 Raw Carrots .83-total
Starbucks Java Ice Cream $4.19
Rice Pudding $3.19

Total Before Coupons and HT Promotions: $109.99

What I paid: $60.19!

Yup, that's right, yet again the savings they offered through their coupon promotion, plus the sales they were offering already, we saved boatloads. I don't need 4 Snickers bars, but we didn't wind up paying for them because the coupon I had was $1/off two, which became $2 off...and I wasn't going to just buy 2 bars and give THEM a credit of $1. The Starbucks Ice Cream was on sale for $3, and I had a $1/off coupon, which became $2. So I in essence paid $1 for it..YUM! Perhaps the best deal, the Ziploc containers were on sale for $3/each. I had a coupon that was $1.50 off/when you buy two. So I bought two, at HT price that became $6, but with my coupon I got 8 Ziploc containers that regularly would cost me close to $8, for $3! Also, you see I bought new dish detergent. Electrosol just did not cut it, and was a waste of water not to mention energy to continue to use when we would have to wash ourselves afterward, so it was pitched. I can say HT brand works fine, just like my beloved Cascade.

Obviously I love HT. Its convenient to where we live, its clean, the people are friendly and the food is good. But I do have a complaint. The sale ended at 11:59, yet they were taking down the sale prices while I was shopping. I asked the girl why it was HT policy -- knowing full well she was doing what she had been told -- and she went and got her manager. I felt bad, I didn't want to get her in trouble. He gave me some song and dance about corporate makes them do it starting at 9 pm, but he was happy to get me a circular. I said no thanks, and suggested perhaps they tell associates to not take down tags when customers are looking at the items. Ironically, a few minutes later I checked the time to make sure I wouldn't miss out on Five Guys (our celebratory dinner) and it was only 8:43 pm..so the girl and the manager started this process even before corporate wanted them to. I just think this is dumb.

I was also surprised at how many items my HT simply didn't have. I had coupons for half-dozen plus items that they didn't carry.

Finally, the humorous/embarrassing part of the night only a mother could love..I am checking out. Just handed in all my coupons, open up my purse and my wallet is no where to be seen! DOH! Its still in the diaper bag!! So, I apologize profusely and run to car. Cashier was very polite, but I was mortified.

Coming tomorrow: Questions answered...hope to make this a weekly posting.

A note about this blog

Some friends have suggested I try to make some money off of this. You will notice I am still working out the kinks of Google Adsense. I am clueless when it comes to this sort of thing. I felt like I had climbed Mt. Everest when I realized how to install the widget so the posting could emailed...so figuring out ads is going to be like traveling to outerspace when, and if, that ever happens.

But I wanted to make clear from the getgo, that the words you read here about my preferences and dislikes are mine. I like, ok LOVE, Trader Joes. But if they go expensive on me in a certain regard, I will call them out on it (i.e the price of their blueberries went up bigtime over the last two weeks or so, as a result my son didn't get any). I also like Giant and Safeway and Diapers.com. I know these things because I shop there. I have tried shopping at Shopppers Food and just have not been impressed. And while I adore Wegman's (who doesn't?) its too far away and in many cases too expensive. The meat and seafood at both Giant and HT are just as good, and cheaper.

What I want to make clear is no matter what the ads say, whatever you read is influenced solely by my experiences. As a former journalist the idea of promoting something just for show makes me ill. If HT or Diapers.com advertises on this site, great. Same goes for Shoppers or even Wal-Mart (which incidently we don't have one close by as far as I know, so thats why I don't shop there) that's fine too.

Rest assured, what you read is how I really feel and not what some ad tells me to say. You have my word.

Paying (much) less than half price

Last night in the waning hours of Harris Teeter’s special triple coupon sale, meaning they would triple the value of any coupon up to $.99 cents (maximum amount off is then $2.97), I managed to make it to our local store.

This is what I purchased (regular price per item in brackets):

Two boxes of Betty Crocker Hershey Fudge Brownies (2.99)
Three boxes of Hamburger Helper (2.19)
Two boxes Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffin mix (2.99)
Lysol Kitchen Cleaner (3.19)
Lysol Bathroom Cleaner (2.99)
Lysol Regular cleaner (4.19)
Ziploc Snack Bags (2.39)
Twix (.99)
Snickers (.99)
Harris Teeter Dish Soup (1.97)
Fructis Shampoo (3.99)
Pepperidge Farm Honey Wheat Bread (3.99)

The total for these purchases, without coupons came to $43.22

I paid, including tax, $18.63!!!

Now, one could very easily argue we don’t NEED blueberry muffins or candy bars. Fair enough. But by being able to have these things as little treats down the road, it makes the hard times that much easier. And we do NEED bathroom cleaners, snack bags and sadly at my age I do need good shampoo (I used to be a Suave girl, until my hair started falling out!)

By cutting all coupons and using them when the time is right, you can save big time. I only wish I had more coupons I could have used last night! I will keep my eyes posted for future triple coupon sales.

Triple Coupon Alert!

Harris Teeter, at least the one in my flier area which came out yesterday and I read last night, is offering TRIPLE COUPONS UP TO 99 cents from now until next Tuesday. That means if you have a coupon that says 90 cents off, its actually $2.70 off! What's great about this deal is that usually when they do it (maybe once every six weeks or so, if memory serves) its only for the weekend, but this is for the whole week!

Happy Shopping!